Monday, May 2, 2016

Campus LifeEmpowered StudentsUpdates on the Tampon Tax!

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Volume 98 Issue 21

EntertainmentEC BuzzHow to deal with the stress of finals week!

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World NewsHalf MarathonGirl accidentally runs half marathon!

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Campus LifeTop EC YaksFunny yaks to make you laugh!

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Surviving with SolidarityBy Jade Stevenson ‘17

Contributing Writer

You are not alone. A message to take to heart. Take Back the

Night was an uplifting and coura-geous experience. To see members of the campus come together to show support and provide solidar-ity reminds me that there is hope. My first steps in attending Take Back the Night were tentative and frightening. If I did not have in-teractions with the staff and my friends, I would have missed out on the chance to feel supported as a survivor and as an ally. It’s difficult to move past experiences that hurt emotionally, spiritually, and physi-cally. I am officially grateful that Elmira College, an organization from the community, and student clubs put together this program.

I had no expectations when I attended Take Back the Night that evening. However, the various members of the campus and com-munity showed so much support and acceptance for all those who have experienced forms of sexual assault. It is a heavy subject and often hard for this topic and vari-ous experiences to be shared, and by doing so, it opens the way for members of the community and campus to feel solidarity and hope again. Surviving and feeling a lack of support is tremendously dif-ficult to endure alone. The weight of knowledge or the feeling of no power is harsh to feel when faced with varied interactions in society.

Thankfully, through programs like Take Back the Night, the campus is providing means and gathering support and allies for all who need it. This was my first time

attending, and the first time for me being open as a witness, a survivor, and an ally. I have learned support comes in many forms, and to have it provided in a manner like this is spiritually redeeming and em-powering. Kallah Turner ‘18 and Damien Razis ‘19 attended this emotional event. Kallah had this to say: “Being my first time at Take Back the Night, I thought it was re-ally lovely. I felt as though I gained knowledge about it and I could really feel the love that came from all of the people who were there and involved. It was a great experi-ence and I only wish more people would have gone to it.” It was also Damien’s first time in attendance, and he believes that “Take Back the Night is a very empowering event that encourages support of others, without this event I couldn’t have come to the realization that I’m not alone.”

For those who have never at-tended, students and staff gathered

and walked around campus shar-ing stories, showing support, and speaking of opportunity helping to release the emotional strain of diffi-cult experiences. I highly encourage everyone to go to share in solidarity and support for all. Another stu-dent who has a similar viewpoint was Hannah Martin ‘17. She said, “I felt that it was important to show my support as a student, as a wom-an, but also as a Resident Assistant on campus. I believe that the best way to put an end to sexual assault is to be united and supportive as a community. I want to thank every-one who was involved and extend my appreciation to those who were strong and shared their personal stories.”Carissa Neary ‘19 has accepted the role of Campus Life Editor for the 2016-2017 year. She has been writing with the Octagon for the entirety of her freshman year. Welcome to the team!

Photo by the Octagon Staff

Campus LifeMay 2, 2016 Page 2

It’s the Final Countdown

Finals Countdown was a success this year! Student Association

spent weeks planning this event. The event was filled with great priz-es and delicious food. Together we chose a Luau theme and a menu that included hamburgers, hot dogs, veg-gie burgers, fruit salad, pasta salad, and Hawaiian cupcakes. Student As-sociation decided upon having a few large prizes and several small prizes. The night of the event there were two tables set up. The first table was the large prizes which included a Beat’s Pill, a Samsung Galaxy Tab-let, a Fitbit, a Keurig, along with a barbeque and slip-n-slide hosted by Dean Dawson and Chris Coons. Stu-dents were given one blue ticket to

use at this table. The second table was the smaller prizes like Savino’s gift sets, a Term 3 travel pack, vari-ous gift cards, a camping set, two Term 3 packs, a Brita water filter, and a hydration pack. Students were given five white tickets to use at this table. Rachel Alibozek ‘17 won a Dunkin’ Donuts gift card.. When asked about the event, Rachel said, “I am thankful to the Student Asso-ciation for providing food and awe-some prizes. I thought Finals Count-down was a great success and it had a great turnout. It was a great way to end Term II!”

Overall, the turnout was great. Many students came out to the event. Students enjoyed taking a

break from studying to have fun with their friends and peers while enjoying some great food and the chance to win prizes. Deanna May-bee ‘18 agrees. She said, “I love that we continue to do this tradition each year. It is a great way to spend time with friends before focusing on fi-nals.” This was the last event that the 2015-2016 Student Association Executive Board will put on for the year. It was a great event and an awesome way to end the year.

Thank you to everyone who came out to the event, we hope you enjoyed it!

By Grace DeCost ‘16Contributing Writer

Upcoming in May

May 2, 2016 Page 3

Nerd Alert

“A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away…” there was a battle of wit and nerve, where

combatants went to test their mental might and physical fortitude for the chance at fame and glory! Or, at least, that’s how I described it to my friends and family… Nerdology, an event that focused on sci-fi, comic book, and popular media and video game-based trivia, was put on by the company’s amiable hosts (for which they have their own mascot) and the college’s own CAB. Now, enough with background, and let us get to the actual event.

In order to commence with the compe-tition, teams had to be formed and named. In total, there were five cleverly named teams…my team’s name was: something nerdy. (hey, they wanted us to name our team something nerdy…we just decided to take the Amelia Bedelia approach!). Another team included Heather Arena and Dominique Del Calzo, both ‘18s. The trivia that was asked to the crowd was fast-paced and, as one might guess, nerdy knowledge-based. Del Calzo, when asked her thoughts about the CAB event, she said, “Twas nerdtastic,” meaning the trivia and the night as a whole. Additionally, Heather said, “ I enjoyed learning new facts as well as re-es-tablishing ones that I already knew.” Up for grabs, prize-wise, there were: gift cards to Taco Bell and various other res-taurants, t-shirts, Nerdology mascot foam squeezables, and other nerdy knick-knacks, plenty of who’s-its and what’s-its galore. Question categories ranged from backwards televi-sion cartoon opening themes to “name-the-character” from Disney pictures.

A couple of firsts, according to the Nerdology hosts, were had at this particular trivia venue, including: first time every team went “all-in” and got all the answers correct! The energy was coursing through the air, lending a nice air or of competition among the teams and it was neck and

neck throughout the night. However, the competition had to come to an end at some point… It was between two teams and the powers of sudden death had to be called upon. The tie-breaker question, between my team and another team of formidable opponents, was…for whatever reason… gotten incorrect by each team. So, a double sudden death had to be put in place. At the end, however, it was the other team that prevailed and basked in the glory of gift cards and other cool prizes. As a consolation, my team received some awe-some proprietary foam squeezables… of which, my team gifted me three and are now all sitting on my shelf…watch-ing…staring.

With the competition at a close, participants left for their dorms…having the weight of glorious victory or val-iant loss on their shoulders. It was then, on my walk back to Perry, that I harkened back to some advice I heard about trying for something, from my short uncle coincidentally: “Try not. Do, or do not. There is no try.” Actually, that was Yoda, but that’s fine too, I guess.

By Cory Blanchard ‘16Contributing Writer

Photo by Giovanna De Loca ’17

Club Spotlight:Muggles 4 Magic

Hello my fellow com-pletely normal muggle

students that are not at all secretly wizards! I, Jonah Lee Fish-Gertz, former headmis-tress (clerical error, don’t ask) of the “Muggles 4 Magic Club” have been employed by some sort of octagonal paper to elucidate the inner workings of our completely normal club that is NOT a group of wizards trying to understand muggle culture. You can tell as much from our name! Totally muggles, not

wizards, don’t worry. You can see for yourself, Mondays at 8 p.m., in the totally normal, not a castle, not haunted, Tomp-kins Hall main lounge. Like all normal muggles, please enter through the window, because once again, we are normal muggles, not secretly wizards on a quest to discern the se-crets of the rubber duck.

Like all normal and per-fectly fine things, upon join-ing our club you will be sepa-rated into houses, so that you can belittle your friends in a

petty rivalry. Where you end up is totally not based on the capricious whims of an aged piece of haberdashery.

Our normal activities in-clude things like acting like normal people. We engage in game such as “Charades” and “The Dating Game” to better blend in with normal people. We also play Muggle Jeop-ardy, where we ask normal, mundane questions anyone would easily know. Some-times we discuss various as-pects of the beloved nonfic-

tion series “Harry Potter”.If that is not enough, we

do have the standard Yule Ball, where you will be forced to stand around awkwardly while music plays, and the Po-tions Making contest, where we mix normal things that are not at all magical. These are both held annually.

In short, we are perfectly normal people, doing mun-dane things not at all out of the ordinary. We look forward to seeing you at our meetings!

By Jonah Fish-Gertz ‘16Contributing Writer

May 2, 2016 Page 4

Top EC Yaks

Overheard at EC

“If I had a match I would give you a stick and set you ablaze.”

“I’m sorry. I touched your plant and it fell apart. I put it back though. You can’t tell if you don’t look at it.”

“The book is so pretty, it

deserves to be take out to

dinner!”

“Was that only yesterday? I feel like I’ve lived a lot of days since then.”

“Nantucket is an island? I thought it was just a thing by the beach. I didn’t know it

was surrounded by beach.”

“This is why you shouldn’t bang all your coworkers in one week.”“Most of my coworkers are old

Asian men.”

“I almost just said ‘bless you’ to the TV. I also

drooled.”“Need a tissue?”

“Nah, I just wiped it on my clothes.”

“I think kiwis and beets are really aesthetically beautiful. I’ve consid-ered painting them before.”

“How do you roof-ie a book?”

“I don’t have to spell roofie in my

everyday life.”

“You’re remarkably calm right now.”

“I don’t know, Senioritis?”“WOOHOO!”

“I don’t have any words for this so I’m just going to put

emojis.”

“My dad lives on a boat in Florida. He

doesn’t know how to swim.”

“I’ve seen pizza in the stairwell on multiple occa-

sions.” “I feel bad for the pizza. It doesn’t get any love. I

would love it.”

“Bathing suits don’t float. It would be nice if they did.”

May 2, 2016 Page 5

Empowered Students Persuading Legislators

As many of you probably heard throughout the week of the Reinstein Symposium, there is a tax on feminine hygiene products in the state of New York as well as in over 35 other states throughout the country. However, New York’s govern-ment has taken one of its first steps towards ending this op-pressive tax on people with periods. The state senate has passed a bill, which will effectively remove tampons and other feminine hygiene products from the list of products that are taxed when

purchased. This bill still needs to be passed in other sections of the state government like the assembly before it becomes a law, but it is a great first step.

The bill would not have became a reality without the sup-port of public opinion. Many petitions have circulated through-out the state and the country demanding the end to the tax on feminine hygiene products. The Women and Gender Studies Club on campus created their very own petition to send to the representatives of the Elmira, New York area. For a campus of our size, this petition was extremely successful. We had almost 300 signatures from a variety of different people: students,

faculty, administrators, etc. If you think about it, that’s about a quarter of the to-tal students who attend Elmira, which is pretty amazing.

I’d like thank anyone who got in-volved by signing the petition and those who are getting involved in the demo-cratic process. If you signed or got other people to sign the petition, then you should proud of yourself for con-tributing to the campaign to end the tax on tampons. We are not quite done yet. As more and more people show their support to end the tax, legislators will have no other option except to take our thoughts into consideration and finalize them as law!

By Matt Hoyt ‘17Contributing Writer

Interested in writing for the Octagon? Becoming a staff

writer? Contributing your thoughts on just one event or topic?

Contact octagon@elmira.edu

for more information!

Photo by cnn.com

New Octagon Staff:Editor in Chief: Haley Brown ‘17Vice President/Entertainment Editor: Alyssa Wilson ‘17Secretary/Opinion Editor: Nicole Derosia ‘17Treasurer/Sports Editor: Emily McCabe ‘17Campus Life Editor: Carissa Neary ‘19

Interested in World News Editor or Senator? Contact octagon@elmira.edu today!

SportsMay 2, 2016 Page 6

It was quite the afternoon for the Elmi-ra College softball team as they hosted

a doubleheader against the Pennsylvania College of Technology. The two teams split for the afternoon with the Soaring Eagles taking the first game 8-0 and the Wildcats taking the second game 4-0. It was also Class of 2016 recognition day and the purple and gold honoured Ka-tie Day ’16, Jackie Heggie ’16, and Julie Heggie ’16 for their contributions to the program over the past four years.

Elmira started things off on the right foot in game one scoring five times in the first inning. The first run of the day came when Maddy Johnson ’19 dou-bled to left center to bring in Julie Heggie ’16. Johnson was brought home by Emily Clark ’19 who sent one over to right field. Jackie Heggie ’16 singled up the middle to bring in Emily Carlin ’17 and Day putting the Soaring Eagles up 4-0. The purple and gold scored a final time in the first inning when Chelsea Storch ’17

came in off a hit from Miranda Keefe ’18.The Soaring Eagles extended their

lead in the second with Johnson scoring on a passed ball and a single from Clark that brought Day home. With the scored 7-0 Elmira added a final run in the third when Johnson singled on a bunt and Katie McDougal ’18 came in to make the score 8-0, which remained the same through the final two innings.

Game two was a slow start for both teams beginning with four scoreless in-nings. The Wildcats finally put up a run

in the fifth to take a 1-0 lead. Penn Col-lege managed to add one more in the sixth and two in the seventh to take the second game 4-0.

By Liz Roosa ’16Sports Editor 2015-2016

Softball Splits Doubleheader on Senior Day

Men’s Lacrosse Falls to Ithaca Bombers in Em-pire 8 Action

It was a tough game for the Elmira College men’s la-crosse team as they hosted number two nationally

ranked Ithaca College at Campus Field. Despite a good effort by the defense and another stellar performance in net by netminder Cam Prior ’17 the Bombers’ offense proved to be unstoppable as they took the game 22-3.

The first quarter was all Ithaca in terms of both possession and scoring with seven goals to start off the game. The second quarter still saw a lot of action for the Bombers in the offensive zone but the Soaring Eagles saw some good chances including a goal from Nevin Ol-ney ’18 with an assist from Wyatt Katsos ’17 to end the first half trailing 14-2.

The third quarter saw some more good chances for Elmira but it was all Ithaca on the scoresheet with an-other seven goals. The fourth quarter was much better for the Soaring Eagles as they took advantage of the Bombers’ decision to play a passing game to steal the ball and wound up scoring twice more first from Antho-ny LaRusso ’17 and then Skyler Pradelski ’16, both un-assisted. Ithaca scored once more to end the game 22-3. Prior made 21 saves in the loss.

By Liz Roosa ’16Sports Editor 2015-2016

Photos by the Liz Roosa ‘16

Photos by the Department of Athletics

Emily McCabe ‘17 has taken on the task of the Sports Editor. She has frequently written for the Octagon throughout the last year. Welcome to the team!

ESPN announced this past Monday that the

New England Patriots’ quarterback, Tom Brady, will be serving the four game suspension awarded after Deflategate back in 2015.

Deflategate refers to an American Football Conference (AFC) Cham-pionship Game on Janu-ary 18, 2015, against the Indianapolis Colts. The Patriots won 45-7 at home field Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Massachusetts. It was found during the game that some of the footballs belonging to the Patriots were under the minimum pressure lev-els, but were re-inflated

at halftime when the score was only 17-7. Tom Brady was given a four game sus-pension for his knowledge of the deflation and there was also a fine given to the Patriots and they lost the first pick of the draft for the following year.

Brady appealed the suspension to Roger Goodell in a 10-hour long hearing held in New York City where he was exoner-ated of his suspension.

The United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit reinstated the four game suspension. The appeal and the rein-

Getting Involved at Elmira College!

Intramural sports are a great way to get involved in sports if you are looking for a sport to play at a less competi-

tive level. It’s a lot of fun and a way to learn to play sports you’ve never tried before. It is entertaining to watch and participate in—even if you do not have one athletic bone in your body. At Elmira College, our intramural sports include dodgeball, volleyball, quidditch, and basketball, among others. During term three, we host an intramural softball tournament with men’s and women’s leagues. The men’s league started Monday, April 25, 2016, and they play on Carnegie Lawn. If you are looking for something to do during your free time, you can bring a beach towel to lay on the hill by the puddle and watch the game or you can sit

against the fence along the road and watch the games there as well while getting some sun. A heads-up to the guys who play over there—watch for the windows of Harris, Watson, Kolker, Carnegie, and the Mark Twain Study! The women’s league starts on Monday, May 2, 2016, and they are also playing on Carnegie Lawn. People are more than welcome to walk over and watch those games as well! Intramural softball is a great way to have team bonding for the sports teams and clubs who formed softball teams and it is also a lot of fun to make team shirts and come up with nicknames. If you did not get the opportunity to join a team this year, I would definitely recommend joining a team next year! It is not hard to learn or pick up and it is a great experience!

Welcome to Term III!

By Rachel Alibozek ‘17Staff Writer

May 2, 2016 Page 7

See Patriots Page 15

Photo by Rachel Alibozek ‘17

April Showers Bring...Disappointed Patriots FansBy Rachel Alibozek ‘17

Staff Writer

Photo by sports.yahoo.com

PatriotsFrom Page 14

statement were both based on the proceedings of the court and whether Roger Goodell had too much power in the original deci-sion and whether he was a fair arbitrator between the NFL (National Football League) and the NFLPA (National Football League Player Association). It was ultimately decided that the

proceedings were fairly done and that the Com-missioner, Goodell, prop-erly used his power. This results in Brady missing games against the Arizo-na Cardinals, Miami Dol-phins, Houston Texans, and Buffalo Bills at the be-ginning of the 2016 sea-son.

May 2, 2016 Page 8

It was four years ago, in the spring of 2012, that I made my visit to

Elmira College. The college had sent a lacrosse assistant coach to watch me play a lacrosse game the previous week. I had a terrific game and the coach told me that Elmira wanted me and that I had the talent to be a starter as a freshman. It was an opportunity and when I visited the beautiful campus, I knew that I needed to seize the moment. Unlike Mark Twain, who stated, “I was sel-dom able to see an opportunity until it had ceased to be one.” I clearly saw this gift.

As we are all aware, in athletic recruiting, the promises of many coaches vanish. At the Division III level, recruitment should be syn-

onymous with opportunity. There are no guarantees of success, but the opportunity is presented. Elmira honored the opportunity and it was now my responsibility to fulfill the commitment.

I established what I believed to be realistic goals. I wanted to achieve at a high level, both academically and athletically. A goal without a plan is just a wish, so I developed a plan.

Four years later and I have real-ized most of my goals. In lacrosse, I was able to break the all-time goals record and the all-time points record and it earned me the Empire 8 Play-er of the Week award for the sec-ond time this year. The most recent recognition was special because our lacrosse goalie, Lindsay Wargo, was also the Goalie of the Week. And, if there were an award for a team, my

teammates would have been chosen as the Team of the Week. I am grate-ful for the teammates I have had over the years as my success is dependent on those who surround me, and, win or lose, they are my team family. My friends and family have always been supportive and never smothering. I have been fortunate to have coaches who, refreshingly, understood that the game is about the players and not about them, and it’s about more than wins and losses. They fostered my growth and maturity and used lacrosse to teach life lessons and to make me a better person.

Mark Twain said, “A man (wom-an) cannot be comfortable without his (her) own approval.” I approve and I’m comfortable! Thank you, El-mira.

By Moorea Spoljaric ‘17Contributing Writer

Opportunity to SOAR!

Photo by Moorea Spoljaric ‘17

Photo by tumblr.com

World NewsMay 2, 2016 Page 9

As the death rate soars in Japan, crematori-ums are quickly becoming overcrowded.

Some areas in Japan are having record death rates this year. For example, approximately 110,000 people have died in Tokyo in the past year. Despite this astounding death toll, only about 20 crematoriums exist in Tokyo. So in order to help with this overcrowding, “corpse ho-tels” are starting to pop up in the country, where dead bodies can be placed for up to four days.

Residents seem to like this idea, although many find it rather strange and unsettling. During the four-day holding period, family members are allowed to visit the deceased, and therefore have extra time to say goodbye. Yet the hotel’s presence is creepy, especially since the lack

of space in Japan forces the hotel to be in close proxim-ity to the living. Although corpse hotels are not an ideal solution, it is the only one Japan currently has, and the

owner hopes to expand this busi-ness into other cities.

J a p a n e s e Prime Minis-ter Shinzo Abe wants to raise the birthrate in Japan from 1.4 to 1.8 children per woman as soon as possible in or-der to counter-act the decreas-ing population of the country. By 2060, Japan’s population will drop from 100 million to about 87 million, with a large portion of the population at

65 years of age or older. Increasing the birth rate will be the best hope for Japan, although a birth rate of 1.8 still falls below the minimum rate to keep a population stable, which is 2.1.

For now, despite some protest, corpse hotels are Ja-pan’s best option; as one resident noted, “You can’t leave the body at your house forever.” It may be strange, but the concept works, and therefore expansion of the busi-ness is probable.

By Nicole Gentile ‘16Editor in Chief 2015-2016

Photo by mirror.co.uk

Equador Quake Kills 654

On April 16, Ecuador experienced a 7.8 magnitude earthquake that

rocked the country. On April 23, the death toll raised to 654 and may still be climbing. A total of 58 people are still missing, over 12,000 are injured, and over 25,000 people are still inhabiting shelters.

Ecuadorian President Rafael Cor-rea announced on prime television that he will be increasing taxes in order to help reconstruct the country. Some will be one-time tax measures, or short term taxes (such as increasing sales tax for a year).

“Rebuilding the affected areas will take years and cost millions of dollars,”

he said.In response to the quake, Ecuador

has deployed 10,000 soldiers and 4,600 police officers to the affected areas. A number of countries have also come to Ecuador’s aid. Mobile hospitals and

temporary shelters have been set up to help survivors.

Hopefully, the death count will not continue to climb as Ecuador tries to recover and rebuild.

By Nicole Gentile ‘16Editor in Cheif 2015-2016

Corpse Hotels to be Created in Japan

Photo by minotarenews.com

Nicole Gentile ‘16 has asked to continue to be a part of the Octagon until she graduates this year. She is our temporary World News Editor. Thank you for everything you’ve done for the Octagon. We hope life treats you well after EC.

May 2, 2016 Page 10

This past week in South Africa, a cam-paign has been underway entitled

“#ZumaMustFall.” The #ZumaMustFall movement is fighting to impeach Jacob Zuma, current president of South Africa. On April 27, 2016, those against Zuma were supposed to protest during Zuma’s celebrations for South Africa’s Freedom Day. While many were expected, only a few hundred protesters showed up to march. United Front secretary, Sipho-kazi Mkhize, firmly believes the march was a huge success, and sticks to this be-lief despite a number of accusations that the march was a failure. Ferrial Adam of environmental NGO 350.org noted that only 200-300 people were actually invited, so the turnout was as expected. The number of police at the demonstration, though, suggested that perhaps the group was expecting more people to show up.

Recently, South Africa’s High Court has ruled that the decision to drop 783 charges of corruption again Jacob Zuma before the 2009 election should be reviewed. Some believe the decision to drop the charges was ulti-mately irrational, and a closer look needs to be taken at the case. Unfortunately, a judge-led commission of in-

quiry found no corruption. The doubt, though, is a huge blow for Zuma. It also opens up the possibility for pros-ecutors to reinstate charges.

Despite the low numbers on Freedom Day, the oppo-sition to to Zuma stands firm. #ZumaMustFall may be planning a larger demonstration for Youth Day, June 16.

#ZumaMustFallBy Nicole Gentile ‘16Editor in Cheif 2015-2016

That’s right, a twelve-year-old girl ran a half mara-thon by mistake. Now, you might be wondering,

“how in the world does someone run 13.1 miles on ac-cident?” I know my jaw hit the floor when I saw it for the first time.

This young girl expected to be in a 5-kilometer race that she had been training for. When she arrived by the

half marathon, she naturally thought it was her race and she was simply late. She arrived just as the runners were pushing off.

By the fourth mile, this little girl realized her mistake and asked a fel-low runner how long the race was. “About thirteen miles,” the runner re-sponded.

Wait… What?“That’s when I real-

ized I think I was in the wrong group,” the girl told media.

To recap: not only did this girl train for a 5k run, but she ended up running a half marathon without even thinking about it.

Despite how much longer this race was, the young girl stuck it out and

ended up finishing the race with an impressive two hours, 43 minutes and 31 sec-onds, earning herself a medal.

I couldn’t even do that.Congratulations, kid.

Wait... She Did What??By Haley Brown ‘17

Editor in Cheif

Photo by www.jacarandafm.com

Photo by goodnewsnetwork.org

OpinionMay 2, 2016 Page 11

Reasons Why I’m A Cat Lady(And Why You Should Be)

1.) They’re adorable!

Who doesn’t love the little fuzz balls that are kittens? They walk around, exploring all of the hidden crev-

ices of their domains, and test the waters for the first time. They are balls of energy with wide eyes and an incompara-ble sense of adventure. And when you see them, especially for me, it’s impossible to play with only one. It is next to physically impossible to not love kittens.

2.) They are good cuddle buddies.Of course, there are those oddball cats that don’t like to

sit or sleep with anyone or anything. But most of the time, a cat will keep you company. They are great space heaters and are amazing soft to cuddle with. They somehow manage to take up twice as much space as they physically occupy, but their company is worth the stiffness in the morning after sleeping with a cat that takes up more than half of the bed.

3.) They teach you tolerance.There is nothing more annoying than when your cat

stares you down whilst knocking a full glass of water (or anything for that matter) off of some kind of surface. They are constantly testing you and pushing you to your limits. Depending on how you take this, though, it can be benefi-cial for you. While their persistence is annoying, they have taught me that persistence and tolerance are important. They also taught me not to cry over spilled milk (quite lit-erally).

4.) They’re majestic (sometimes).You know the saying, “Cats always land on their feet.”

While mostly true, there are always exceptions. There are always the occasional face plants, trips, and general spastic moments. My cat is graceful for the most part. However, I can recall this one instance where he fell off the windowsill to get caught in the heater, did a 180 degree flip and fell flat on his face. He was okay, but it was entertaining, which brings me to my next point.

5.) They are a constant source of entertain-ment.

Whether you are playing with them, they do something spastic, or they decide to demonstrate the physical proper-ties of matter, there is never a dull moment in the life of a cat. Their energy is contagious and laughable, and it impos-sible to resist. Cats are always demonstrating their unique abilities, such as the ability to take the properties of a liquid and fit into almost anything.

6.) They are independent.While your cat may like to play, cuddle, and harass you,

they also have an independent quality to them. While they like to take over your space and and your time, they also enjoy independence. Just like you like your alone time, they like theirs. With a cat, you can both have play time, down

time, and cuddle time, and that’s the best of all worlds.

7.) They are natural pesticides.There is certainly no shortage of bugs and creepy craw-

ly things that will inhabit your house. Luckily, cats take care of that. If your cat is anything like mine, they will put on quite the show as they sniff it, bat it round a couple times, then consume it whole. Needless to say, they will take care

of all of those bugs that you never want to see around.

8.) They are therapeutic.Cats, and animals in general, are great stress relievers.

Their affection has soothing qualities. Their purrs are also therapeutic, much like classical music. Their purrs can af-fect you both emotionally and physiologically, providing calming and soothing effects. Next time you are with a cat, listen to them purr for a while and you’ll be surprised just how relaxed you feel.

9.) They will always be your friend till the end.Most importantly, cats are loyal. If you love them, they

will love you back. Even after long periods of time, they won’t forget you, and will always welcome your presence and return. I love coming home after six weeks to be greet-ed by my purring cat who wants nothing more than to be held.

By Nicole Derosia ’17Opinion Editor

Photo by pinterest.comNicole is a longstanding writer with the Elmira College Octa-gon, and is also a writing tutor on campus. She has taken on the role of Opinion Editor and Secretary for the 2016-2017 year. Welcome to the team!

May 2, 2016 Page 12

Put Down the Pencil and Pick Up a Crayon

As children, who didn’t love coloring? I personally pre-ferred crayons, but there was also scribbling with mark-

ers and colored pencils as well as doodling on etch-a-sketches. However, until recently, there has not been a large market for adult coloring books. There are millions of coloring books and sheets for kids, both for fun and education. I remember getting coloring sheets for fire safety and for certain holidays during school. There are also tons of themed coloring books for kids ranging from My Little Pony to Hot Wheels to fuzzy posters. Now there is a large market for adult coloring books, which is fantastic! There are many benefits to coloring!

Coloring can reduce stress and provide as a great dis-traction when dealing with a ton of school work. When you color, your brain focuses on coloring—both physically col-oring and picking out the color schemes. This distracts you from the other things that are going on, which can be a stress reliever, especially during exam week! Not to mention, this is a great way to procrastinate while still doing something productive other than watching Netflix, or you could do this while also watching Netflix.

Coloring is also a great expression of creativity! Every-one has a different opinion on what something should look like and a different interpretation of what something means. A blank coloring book just has the outlines of a picture, so by adding color you can make the image your own and add personal details to each drawing. Some people like to color outside the lines while others like to keep the image as is. The color scheme of the picture can also be an expression of emotions. Dark colors, like blues, purples, dark greens, and black, can indicate emotions such as sadness and depression while bright colors, like reds, oranges, and yellows, can indi-cate anger or passion.

Some businesses actually put coloring sheets in the break rooms on Fridays to help people settle down after a long work week. Coloring is also used in some doctors’ offices to calm the mind before or during a meeting or to help ease people with anxiety. The benefits of coloring as an adult are tremendous to the mind, so if you are stressed or need a break, go buy a coloring book or print some pages off of the Internet!

By Rachel Alibozek ‘17Contribvting Writer

Photo by theodysseyonline.com

The Best You Can Be

I have been using makeup probably since seventh grade; I love looking back through photos to see my makeup trends.

I can easily identify the period of time when I thought the darker and thicker the eyeliner, the better, or the period when I believed that glitter eyeshadow was the best thing since sliced bread, and I bet you makeup-wearers also have these same memories. It’s funny to look back and just ask, “What was I thinking?!” then compare how I use my makeup today. I think the drastic change of my looks may be in part to a changing of attitude of myself and how I viewed makeup in general.

When I was younger, I tried using skin lightening lotions and cakey foundation to make my freckles disappear. This was to no avail; the suckers kept peeking through no matter what I did. I just wanted the flawless skin that my friends had and that I thought I needed it to be successful. Like many people, I’m sure, I believed for some time that wearing makeup allows us to hide our imperfections or diminish certain aspects of who we are. I thought makeup would drive people to respect my opinions or notice me; I realized that it’s not the actual makeup itself that demands attention, but rather how I carry myself when I wear it. There are some people who say that if you wear makeup then you must not be comfortable with how you look. That may be the case for a few people, but more likely this statement is outrageous and enraging!

Makeup allows us to enhance and embrace the features that we love about our face and boost self confidence. After putting on their face, so many people look in the mirror and instantly feel like a million bucks; they can’t help but see their reflection somewhere and just think “Whoa, who is that extra gorgeous person? Oh yeah, it’s me!” I don’t see wear-ing makeup as an act for others, but something I do just for myself. People in general are terribly judgey and they often think that you’re trying to impress them or hide your true self from them when you wear makeup. All I can say to those people, why does everything have to be about you? Makeup is all about the wearer’s perception of self. It’s not how you feel about me, but how I feel about myself ! When I put it on I feel “armed and dangerous”, ready to tackle any problem that life throws at me. Yes, I know this is all in my head; I am no less prepared to handle life when I decide to go au naturel, but there is something about the ritual of putting on mascara or lipstick that just lifts my spirits. There are some days that I want to dress up and put on dramatic makeup… just because! I don’t have to change my face to appease anyone!

Why should people have any opinion on what is on anyone else’s skin? Whether it be there by choice like makeup or by design like my freckles, who are you to tell me how these physical qualities exhibit how I feel about myself ? No one certainly has a right to judge whether or not I have high self esteem, only I get to determine how I perceive myself.

By Monica Matt ‘17Contributing Writer

EntertainmentMay 2, 2016 Page 13

EC Buzz: 6 Reasons Term III is Amazing

1. The fountains are on!Term II is probably the most depressing term of

them all. The puddle is so still, and the fountain is empty. These are just reminders of brutal, New York

winters (this winter wasn’t terrible, but still) and how much longer we have before summer break.

When you arrive back on campus for Term III, the fountains serve as a sign of hope and happiness. I

could be exaggerating, but I think you know I’m not. There’s nothing better than reading by the fountain on a sunny day or playing softball on Carnegie Lawn with the puddle behind you. We’re EC, for goodness’

sake!

2. Six short, beautiful weeksAlthough we have terms that are shorter than the average college, 12 weeks just seems long! Maybe

it’s the fact that the classes are tough or that you’ve got the winter blues, but by February break, you’re pretty much ready to hole up in your bedroom at

home for the rest of your life. Term III is a completely different story! If you’re on a trip, you never want the term to end. If you’re taking a class with your favor-ite professor, class really isn’t the chore it would be in another term. If you’re taking not-so-fun classes

that you have to take so you can graduate (or have a fun, empty last term of college), you can bask in the

knowledge that you don’t have to suffer for long!

3. Classes that are... fun?At the risk of excluding the few that are taking

classes to get required credits out of the way, most students take great classes Term III. Even the pro-

fessors know that this term isn’t nearly as serious as the rest of the year! I know students that are taking ballroom dancing classes, pilates, field botany (that’s fun to me, okay?), acting, and so much more! Term III isn’t your average, run-of-the-mill term. No sir!

Term III classes are the best!

4. Softball!There’s really not much to say on this. I mean, if

you’re a student, you know what I’m talking about. This tradition that brings tons of students onto

Carnegie Lawn just about every day to watch mostly non-softball players face-off for the right to say they are softball champions. I’ve never seen a college that has such an ingrained unofficial tradition (not that

I’ve ever transferred). In a few words, EC loves Term III softball.

5. Free WednesdaysDespite the fact that we must attend class for an

additional Wednesday this year in honor of Memo-rial Day, we still have 3 Wednesdays off! I repeat:

THREE days OFF. We don’t get that kind of freedom during other terms! A day of just nothing? For all of my science majors out there, you know there is no

such thing as a day off. A Tuesday or a Thursday is just another lab day. Monday, Wednesday, Friday are pretty rough for any major. But rest assured, Term III is the break that everyone needs. Enjoy

your Wednesdays!

6. No SnowThe best part of Term III? The weather. While the

previous items are wonderful characteristics of Term III, the absolute, without-a-doubt, make-or-break

best aspect is that there is sunshine! The fountains are on, the grass is green (naturally or artificially

to be determined), and the lawn mowers are going. Getting some rays between classes is just what you do. Maybe this is why everyone is so much happier Term III. We’re no longer Vitamin D deficient! Soak

up some sun and enjoy this fantastic term!

By Alyssa Wilson ’17Entertainment Editor

Photo by Alsyssa Wilson ‘17

Photo by quickmeme.com

Alyssa Wilson ‘17 has accepted to return to the position of Entertainment Editor for another year. She has consistently written for the Octagon and always has an EC Buzz for the week. Welcome back to the team!

Over break, my extended family and I watched the

movie San Andreas directed by Brad Peyton. This movie features many well-known ac-tors and actresses, including Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson from The Game Plan, Carla Gugino from Batman v Su-perman: Dawn of Justice, Alexandra Daddario from the Percy Jackson series, Ioan Gruffudd from both of the Fantastic Four movies, Ar-chie Panjabi from Bend it Like Beckham, and Paul Giamatti from Cinderella Man.

This movie was overall a decent action movie. It was very realistic, and the ideas presented are things that could potentially happen in real life. The only downside to this movie was that, to some people, this movie could be seen as being very predictable. Some of my family members literally called almost every twist. Other than that, it was a very good movie with great acting.

The movie focuses pri-

marily on the Gaines family, which consists of a separated mother and father, Gugino and Johnson respectively, and a daughter named Blake, played by Daddario. It is re-vealed early on that the fam-ily separated as a result of a death of a younger daughter, which led to the father becom-ing an air rescue pilot for Los Angeles, California. He is in his helicopter when the first major earthquake hits and has to save his former wife. Blake is with the mother’s new boyfriend, played by Gruf-fudd, when the earthquake hits, but then he peaces out and leaves her trapped where her new-found male friends come to the rescue. Together, the three of them complete a journey that strengthens their newly formed friendship and bonds them in a way only a life-threatening disaster can. The whole family has to survive the multiple-impact disaster while trying to re-group after being separated and facing multiple obstacles. At the same time, you get a glimpse into the researchers at CalTech, who predicted

the original earthquake, but no one believed them. They face the difficulty of having to spread the knowledge of future earthquakes along the entire San Andreas Fault Line of magnitudes 9.0+ on the Richter scale without using anything that relies on phone lines. This is a result of the San Andreas tectonic plate shifting significantly and re-sulting in earthquakes, tsuna-mis, sinkholes, and large can-yon-like cracks in the Earth.

This was a good movie, and it was very realistic. Hav-ing studied disaster manage-ment and criminal justice, I can also say that it is pretty accurate in terms of what happens during a disaster crime-wise and as to what you should do in a disaster. Loot-ing is very common through-out disasters, particularly ear-ly-phases of disasters, which is portrayed when the two parents are in the store and people are stealing televisions and shooting other people. It is also very accurate that ma-jor earthquakes can lead to massive fires and there are not necessarily enough people to

respond to all of them, which is where back-up comes in. The only problem that I no-ticed is that FEMA coordi-nates a response, rather than responding to it, and this can only happen after the Presi-dent formally declares a state of emergency, which was not specified in the movie. For be-ing a Hollywood production, it is very accurate for a simu-lation, which makes it an edu-cational movie as well.

I would recommend this movie because it was a great movie with characters you grow to love and characters you can’t help but hate as well as having a good plot line and lots of action. Despite its pre-dictability, it is not scary and there are a couple romantic as-pects so there is a little some-thing for all movie lovers. If you enjoy this movie as much as I did, keep on the lookout for the sequel that was just announced this past February that is going to focus on the Ring of Fire and will consist of some of the original cast according to multiple online sources.

May 2, 2016 Page 14

Movie Review: San AndreasBy Rachel Alibozek ‘17

Staff Writer

Movie Review: Vacation

Are you looking for a way to procras-tinate this term three? Great, this is

the movie for you! If you are a fan of the National Lampoon Vacation movies, then you’re even better off. If you are like me, you will begin watching the movie with expectations for this reboot to be as great as the old Vacation movies. While noth-ing can compare to the originals, this film stands on its own and is nothing short of a typical Griswold family adventure.

Rusty Griswold (Ed Helms), in the midst of preparing for the annual fam-ily cabin trip, decides that it’s time for a change. He rents a 2015 Tartan Prancer, complete with the muffin, rocket, and swastika button controls, and sets out with his wife Debbie (Christina Apple-gate) and their two sons James (Skyler Gisondo) and Kevin (Steele Stebbins) to rekindle his relationship with his family on a trip to Walley World. As is typical

of a Griswold family adven-ture, noth-ing went as planned. They stop first in M e m p h i s , where Debbie is pressured into doing the “Chug Run”, a drunken char-ity event she

invented back in college to raise money. They then stay the night at a hotel, where James, a so-cially awkward teenage boy, meets Adena (Catherine Missal). They are interrupted by Rusty attempting to be a wingman, but ends up coming off as a pedophile. They continue their drive through Ar-kansas, where they take a dip in a hot spring, only to find out that it is actually raw sewage and that they were robbed in the process. The drive, naked and

covered in human waste, to Rusty’s sis-ter Audrey’s (Leslie Mann) house. They visit with the in-laws, including Audrey’s husband Stone (Chris Hemsworth). Af-ter an unfortunate and cannibalistic cow incident, they continue their drive. The stop at the Four Corners, where James gets his second chance with Adena, and finally stands up to Kevin’s bullying. Af-ter an incident at the Grand Canyon and the explosion of their car via the muffin key, they continue on to Clark (Chevy Chase) and Ellen’s (Beverly D’Angelo) house and decide to go home. Clark con-vinced them to finish the trip, and they finally make it to Walley World, only to get stuck on a roller coaster. While the trip was insanely dysfunctional, they ended up closer than ever.

It was a nice surprise for the original Griswold’s to make an appearance in the film. National Lampoon continued their hilarious take on misadventures within the Griswold family. If you’re looking for a laugh, this is the film for you.

By Nicole Derosia ’17Opinion Editor

Photo by imdb.com